What to Know
Back in 2019, rumors surfaced that Prince William had cheated on Kate Middleton with Rose Hanbury — one of his wife’s close friends and a longtime member of the royals’ social circles. At the time, the couple didn’t speak publicly about the allegations, but what was going on behind the scenes between Will and Kate?
According to one royal insider, Kate’s reaction to the rumors behind closed doors was far worse than anyone knew.
The allegations that William had cheated were everywhere in 2019.
Supposedly, William had been part of an ongoing affair with Rose, though there was never any concrete evidence to prove that it was true (at least, not any that was ever made publicly available).
Those rumors came back to haunt Will in 2022, when the celebrity gossip Instagram account Deux Moi shared a message from a reader with a bit more insight.
“This British royal’s extramarital affair is an open secret in London and amongst the English artisto set and is the talk of every party and news desk,” said the message, via In Touch Weekly. “At a recent media party, I was told the real reason for the affair was the royal’s love of pegging, which the wife is far too old fashioned to engage in.”
Now, an insider claims that Kate was “devastated.”
A royal insider told Radar Online that Kate was so “devastated” by the rumors that she and William ended up entering into couples therapy to help their relationship weather the situation.
“Since the rumors of the affair surfaced back in 2019, Kate and William have been through counseling and, although their marriage can be rocky at times, it’s safe to say that they won’t split anytime soon,” the source said.
Kate reportedly insisted that Rose be “phased out” of the royals’ circle at the time — which makes total sense, because seeing Rose at events with William would likely only add fuel to the rumors, whether they were actually true or not.
Rose was never truly cast out of the royals’ circle, though.
In fact, she was at King Charles’ 2023 coronation, which sparked even more speculation about what was really going on behind closed doors in the royal family at that time.
When the rumors first began circulating, Rose issued a statement (via her lawyers) that stated that they were “completely false,” and it doesn’t sound like she’s changed her story since.
Between these rumors, the death of the Queen, Kate and Charles’ cancer diagnoses, and the Prince Andrew drama, it’s been a very stressful several years for the royals. And honestly, can anyone blame Kate if she never wanted to see the woman again?
